Answer to those who fail to make natto from starter. I fail 10 times until i change this in my steps: 1) After you pressure steam beans, put them in clean tray and cover them by wrap without holes and let them sit until they cool down to 40-50° and only after that add an starter wich you dissolve in 70-80° hot water. 2) After i put them in fermentator i get my clock on 6hours, then i small down my heat emmiter on 1° because natto start to create it's own heat (dispassionate >39.0° - 38.0° -
I'm so happy there is a channel like yours! You are very methodical in your process, easy to understand and I also like that you use different beans to make your natto. The results you get are the best on youtube! Thank you for sharing your wisdom!
Thank you so much for your series of videos, Natto Dad! We've been to Japan just this year with my wife and absolutely loved Natto. So much so that we ordered a starter and are making Natto today with my wife! :) I absolutely love your detailed, thorough, instructions! Greetings from Kyiv, Ukraine!
Thanks so much for these comparisons! 80°C is the way to go for dissolving the starter! Btw I am very happy to see that it's possible to make natto with existing natto, instead of buying the starter!
Thank you! I’m so happy to have seen your video using spore starter powder. I’ve soaked and now steaming the beans in my instant pot. The only thing that would make this better is if you had used Instant pot with yogurt maker mode (keeps a steady 100F or 37C/38C). I will check another channel to see how long I need to have the beans in the yogurt maker mode. Thank you so much for this video! I’ve not seen another channel using the starter powder-I’m using the same one that you did here that I got from Amazon. Arigatou!😊
I personally never really had interest in Natto but after watching your channel I find the process (and your videos of course) really interesting and cool, thanks for making these !
Hi KSJ, hopefully it it will a gateway to the strange and wonderful foods out there. Natto is an amazing food that has had positive health effects for me. If you have a chance, give it a try! -Natto Dad
Today I made my first natto. I had not found your channel until tonight, after all was done and beginning fermentation. I followed a different instruction, which did not mention sterilizing equipment. I washed everything with very hot soapy water. I think my beans were too firm too. But I did dissolve starter in hot water, but it cooled before I could get it into the beans, but they were warm. After watching your channel, I opened my yogurt maker and put the plastic film over the beans. I have never even tasted natto. But I have been very ill for the last year and I am counting on natto to help me feel better. I will let you know how my batch turns out. Thank you.
Thank you for running this experiment. It makes it easy to see that less than ideal results will happen unless you rehydrate the spores at the proper temperature...
You are welcome! I learned by failing so I wanted to share my experience so people would not have to make the same mistakes. My first 30 batches of natto were a failure so not sure if that points to me being a slow learner or highlights my persistence, haha! -Natto Dad
@@nattodad1620 Thanks for doing the heavy lifting! I may have stumbled on the spore method and never recovered without your persistence. I wanted to share my "Shortcut method" with you in return... Start by sterilizing utensils and the spore hydration water, cool to 175F and hydrate the spores. I use an InstantPot and just run it for 30 minutes to sterilize it all. Then open a can of beans, and drain. Then proceed as usual... I just finished a batch of 2 cans of organic black beans in 18 hours, yum!! In the IntstantPot on Yogurt mode, I didn't even have to cover with plastic either, saving another step. So, a can-o-beans turns into Natto in record time without prepping the beans... So far black beans works great, and I will try many other canned beans in time... My 🐔chickens love Natto too! Thanks again!👏🙏🥢
Sure D Smith. It was confusing to me as well and wanted to get answers myself as making natto from spore was a little spore-radic for me. Sorry could not contain myself. -Natto Dad
Thanks for the tutorial. Just tried my hand at making some homemade natto with powderized starter from a european company, and it turned out great. Thanks for introducing me to this very healthy and tasty food.
Just made my first batch of Natto, using the Nattomoto. It's wrapped up with towels 🤱🏻 in the oven (turned off) but remaining at a warm temperature🌡. We used the bean juice to dissolve the inoculant starter, at about 95°-90° F and then reintroduced it into the batch. Hopefully it turns out good, thank you for the amazing content! 🙏🏽💖
@@ImmaKakarot1 turned out surprisingly better than the Natto frozen from the store. Made a big batch of it unexpectedly, so we have a lot of Natto to eat over the next week. So yum! My 6 year old son is loving it too
Hello Natto Dad!! Please make "Will it natto?" series, I'm so interested 😬, btw I have some ideas, you can use rolled oat, peas, peanut, corn, rice, wheat bran, and sesame seeds. Since bacillus subtilis in natto only digests starches, it maybe possible to ferment those things. Good luck 👍
Hi Anthony, oh man, you read my mind. I was thinking the exact thing. I had a comment mentioning fermenting wheat or was it oats with soybean increases vitamin K. So that is a thing. Ooof, rice may be scary. Summer time, I have left cooked rice for a few days unrefrigerated and it started threading. Probably from all the native natto bacteria in my house. I have also heard corn and cheese cubes will natto. So yes, that is a cool idea. The idea is there, more of a will power and life/work getting on the way, haha! -Natto Dad
I saw the Mamenoka Mito Natto that was very popular with foreigners. Less smell and sticky. The manufacturer used different bacteria to achieve this. @nattodad, you can try doing this as a new series. Try different fermenting bacterias to achieve different natto results. It'll be an exciting series !!
Wow that is wild Kevin. If have seen Niowa natto in Japan. The one that is less stinky. I had tried fermenting with different brands as starters and under the some fermenting conditions, I have found that some do not produce as much threads as the frozen natto I usually use. So there are definitely strain differences. -Natto Dad
Oh please do! It you are feeling adventurous, this is definitely a food to have. Might be good to start with store bought natto if available in your area. -Natto Dad
Wow this is awesome, thank you. I can't get natto starter nor frozen natto. I heard that natto van be made without starter pr frozen pack. Just beans wrapped in leaves, stored in bamboo box. In North East India many people prepare fermented beans that way. Kinema, hawaijar, tungrymbai, bekang, aakhone, and peruyaan are naturally fermented ethnic soybean foods of India; they are popular among the Mongolian-origin races in the Eastern Himalayas. Bacillus subtilis is the dominant functional bacterium in all naturally fermented soybean foods of these regions.
Hey Natto Dad! I heard Natto is possible with sunflower seeds(weird, right?) but I don't see anyone doing it, even on the internet. In a future video, would it be possible for you to try it? Thanks!
Natto Dad haha I would love this series! I haven't tried regular natto yet, but I'm a nutrition junky so I want to, and If I don't like it, I'll keep on trying for those health benefits😂😁. Love your work man.
Thank you for a clear and learned demonstration. My 3rd batch is still not up to your standard even though I have bought a thermostat yoghurt maker with accurate temperature control. Could it be that the problem is that I steam them without a pressure cooker at atmospheric pressure I wonder?
Hey Freddy. I've made 2 batches based on Natto Dad's instructions. First time using a basic steamer, the strings were very weak. For the second batch, I bought a large pressure cooker and steam basket. This made all the difference. The soybean in the first batch were not cooked through compared to the second batch, even after 3 hours of steaming. They really need to be cooked so the whole bean is mushy, not slightly al dente. The strings in the second batch are like the control group shown here. Hope you may find this helpful!
Hi Freddy, Kin is right. I was frugal at the beginning and did not use a pressure cooker to steam the beans. It took me about 10 failed batches to realize that. Hope the next batch goes well. You guys are ahead of the game! -Natto Dad
Natto Dad ahead of the game thanks to your pioneering work. It is puzzling why pressure cooking is necessary tho because they weren't around in the 1100s in Japan. Maybe they cooked the beans for a day.
Hi Freddy, that is a good theory. I wonder about these things sometimes and if I could go back in time, I would love to taste all the foods they had back in the days. I wonder how good the foods tasted a thousand years ago and how they compare to the same foods we eat now. Maybe the natto was crunchy and non-stringy and they were satisfied with that. Or like you say, in relation to the technology they had at the time, cooking soybeans for a day was no big deal. Kinda like going to the library for half a day to look up information was not a big deal for me in highschool without Google existing at the time. After a few hundred years, the people decided to improve the natto and tinkered as we all do. There are references that point to the ancients making "hikiwari" natto which is natto using chopped soybeans. That would speed up the cooking process. One hundred years ago, in 1919, natto was isolated and made with isolated pure cultures and pressure steaming was probably started around that time. -Natto Dad
When I’ve used spore starter, I found that if I add it directly after boiling, there will be no fermentation after eight hours but some after eighteen, so activation seems like a good idea.
Hi Natto Dad! I love your videos! I'm on a mission to make my own natto at home because I love it so much. (It's one of my favorite breakfasts) This is a huge learning process though, and I'm finding a lot of struggles. But that's good! Because each time I mess up, I learn some new things about how to eventually get the natto I'm craving. So far I've attempted 2 batches at home, and both have failed. In fact, I'm still waiting on the final verdict of the second batch, but I'm pretty sure it didn't work out properly. My common problem seems to be 1: I don't have a pressure cooker. So I won't be trying to make a 3rd batch until I buy one, otherwise I'm just wasting soybeans. And 2: I'm having trouble keeping a steady temperature for 20 hours. My beans keep getting too cold, and the natto fails. :( Despite messing up 2 batches, I'm having a lot of fun learning how to do this, and your videos (and your website) have really helped me to understand what I need to do and how. Without them I'd probably still be wasting soybeans and wondering what went wrong. Hopefully I can get a pressure cooker soon, and some equipment to keep my oven at a steady temp! I'd love to see more videos from you in the future! Thanks for sharing and teaching! Please wish me luck, haha
Thanks Cassie. With the pressure cooker and temp control, the natto will come leaps and bounds better. I wish you the best of luck and if you fail again, do not be discouraged. I failed more than 30 times before I dialed it in so keep at it! It will be very rewarding when you conquer natto! It is the hardest fermented food that I make. You will almost develop a sixth sense and a feel for making foods. -Natto Dad
Hi! I have a trouble that natto bacteria grows on surface of the beans, like white color fluffy but in your videos end result wasn't look like that. They just became brown with "liquid" skin. What can be wrong? Thanks
Good question Ripys. Just uploaded the new video. I left a few pointers on the new video. You can also check the troubleshooting guide in my Natto Dad blog. -Natto Dad
Love your videos. I've been doing some thinking and outcome to believe that the hot water has nothing to do with activating the sports but rather killing competing bacteria strains that might have got in the starter. the natto spores, are endospores and as such are incredibly resistant to heat. However opportunist bacteria from the air and the manufacturing process that have just landed on the starter , in the majority won't be endospores and hence easily killed by water over 65° . There are only a few key variables , cook time, hydration , heat and humidity. but the main one that leads to poor strings is having competing bacteria in your Natto this is why hygiene is of maximum importance . Incidentally if using fresh Natto that is not in endospore form and will be destroyed by sheets like any other bacteria that the tribe sports starters give you a huge advantage because then be applied directly to very hot beans. thank you.
Wow, that is thesis material James. Your points make logical sense but I do not have a sterile lab to test this. In the literature, there is mention of endospore heat activation so that may still be a thing. As for bacteria in the air, mold spore contamination is more common but as you say, I am not doing this in a sterile environment so there are many factors to consider. Another amazing thing about natto is that when it is co-fermented with e.coli in the lab, it has been shown to outcompete it to point that it is not present at the end of fermentation. The power of fermentation at work. Having said that, there is mention of one incident of food poisoning from natto prepared with hay as starter so it is always better to err on the safe side. Thanks for stopping by! -Natto Dad
Natto Dad hello, very kind of you to say so. I am very much a beginner, in fact it was only after watching your videos following the instructions did my Natto come out great. when I first started I was a bit too convinced about the force of live natto cultures from a previous batch being able to overwhelm any opportunist bacteria from the air. in many time are used started from a previous batch for maybe two or three generations . I notice you say with starter that is best not to do that and use just a first or maybe second-generation natto started from a previous batch. researching about commercial natto manufacture I did notice that when using spore starters there is a vulnerability it the beginning and any sort of touching of the beans with your fingers is forbidden . Just by using your hygiene I got very good strings using a sport starter . I also did an experiment using tinned beans , inoculating with a previous batch , it turned out okay but with very light strings , I wonder if it's to do with the amount of carbohydrate stuck to the outside of the bean . One of the reasons to steam rather than boil is to keep the carbohydrate on the outside of bean . One of the mysteries about natto is that sometimes it seems to stall , I will get a great natto smell and light strings however long I leave it gets to a point where it doesn't seem to change or get any stronger , admittedly this was well is mostly using poor hygiene standards but it also happened when I used to canned beans and a starter from frozen Japanese fresh natto. Wishing you the very best thank you.
Glad I could help James. You touch on a few interesting points. As for the canned beans, I was interested to try that myself. My opinion on why the strings was weak with canned beans is that natto does not like to be too wet. Canned beans are saturated with water which is the same if you boil beans. I have found that the threads will always be weak when compared to pressure steamed beans which have lower moisture. I used to have some failed batches from time to time. If you are having problems specially in cooler weather, it is because the fermentation is not reaching temperature. I had received a comment that reaching 108F (42C) is crucial for good threads and I agree with this. Cheers to your health fellow natto maker. -Natto Dad
Natto Dad thank you , very interesting about the water content, I am wondering whether the reason for excess moisture harming the strings is because it washes off the nutrients on the surface of the bean , or whether it makes the surface too slippery so the bacteria can't adhere strongly. also I have made the begin a mistake of steaming the beans and letting them cooldown with the lid off and I noticed it gone quite firm and dry and then I tried to add more water and it was a very satisfactory. By the way the canned beans were something of a success, I used one can of aduki beans and one can of black eyed beans, there was no salt added but they did have calcium chloride added as a firming agent. I relished eating the whole lot , I have just finished it. it had light light strands but a very nice natto aroma. because of having a Western pallet I don't really like eat sticky strings . When I eat natto I like to mix it with porridge or a stew , I really relish the flavour , I found it has really grown on me. thank you for your comment about temperature , I am very fortunate I have a yoghurt maker which has a temperature adjustment which is very accurate , it's A Vonchef model, a flat model that takes little jars , I can put a little dish in , I normally make about 500 g worth but I could fit 1000 g if I wanted to. All the very best.
I used NattoMotto (Yuzo Takahashi labs) but I never let the beans cool, as soon as they were cooked, I cool the pressure cooker under the tap water to release the pressure, used the 3 table spoons (40 ml) of hot water (the same water from the pressure cooker) to dissolve the spores and mix everything. Got good threads/slimy. Always at 40C /+-3C. Price wise, I think is better to use Okame natto as starter since 3 trays let you make 27 -1 pound of natto batches for $3. The NATTOMOTTO is $24 and let you make 30- 1pound batches of natto. I always get excellent results with Okame natto as starter dividing the tray on 9 parts as you did. the little frozen cube works real well either with soy natto beans or regular cheap gmo soy beans
No, always Pyrex trays....but I discover works better if I just cover the Pyrex with the plastic film on top. Once the beans are colonized, (24 hours) I place a sheet of plastic over the beans and another over the Pyrex, both with pin holes in order to preserve the humidity. If you use the plastic film over the beans the lack of air make the colonization to fail..
Wow i just found your channel, and it’s soo AMAZING, i’d like to see more of your content ! I already watch several time each of your video! Keep on the great work! Since in my country i can’t find easily soybeans and when i command it online they tax it very high, but i love the way you do natto with all sorts of beans! I see that you haven’t uploaded in a while, i hope you’re alright, I can’t wait to see more of your videos!!
Hahaja BN, I am quite well. Have been busy at work and chores so I have not been able to upload. I am not a youtuber or anything like that. Yeah, my goal is to make natto with as many beans as possible. Hopefully will load more content this year. Thanks for stopping by. -Natto Dad
Hi, did you ever tried to make a starter with wild herbs or straw for to make Chickpeas, black beans or other kind of beans natto? I know you can do it with Soy beans but if it will work with other kind of beans that I am not sure of?
Hi 👋 I tried making chickpea and red bean natto with the powdered starter and it was a complete fail for the chickpeas. Red beans were over cooked but it worked great. What can I do to make a fool proof chickpea natto? Also thanks for making such informative videos ❤️
When I ferment using a starter, the beans turn out very sticky. However, if I use the previous frozen batch, they come out weak and not sticky. Does anyone know what the problem might be?
Am I the only one that has issues using spores ? I did exactly as you said and get zero fermentation. I have no problems using live culture from the grocery store but spores. Three different times And bought twice. No luck !
Hey Natto Dad!, Awesome video. I had a question though, when you are wrapping the containers of soybeans in saran wrap I noticed that you puncture many holes into the saran wrap. My question is, do you ned to puncture that many holes into the saran wrap or will a few holes for the natto to breathe be enough air for the starter culture? Also, helpful advice for those who are getting weak threaded natto even with using heated water, I noticed that my natto culture would have stronger threads if I let the natto ferment longer. I had a problem of having weak threaded natto and corrected this problem by fermenting my natto for a longer time. I tend to ferment my natto for around 40-42 hours.
Hi CS, My understanding is that natto are aerobic, meaning that they need air to grow. As for the lower air requirement, I have not tried it so I do not know. Just leaving the edges open might do the trick. Thanks on the input on fermenting longer CS! With the setup being different, I could see the fermentation taking longer. Temperature will directly affect the rate of growth so lower temps will result in longer ferms. It might also have to do with the moisture, where a longer time may allow the beans to dry a bit reaching the optimum growing humidity. But if the fermentation is not healthy to begin with, a longer ferm will not fix that. -Natto Dad
Hello Natto Dad , I’m from Russia, thanks for this video . I made natto in oven like u , it was very tasty natto made with 49 degrease . Thermal probe I put in the beans soya . And bacillus were alive. Maybe u will find my experience so interesting. Do you know people who eat natto every day for sport life ?
Thank you for commenting from Russia. I am sure ti is good for athletes. It has the effect of cleaning your blood so it is less like to get blood clots caused by high fat diets. If it helps with circulation and blood flow, I am sure it would help people who play sports. -Natto Dad
At 3:58, you are transferring by spoon the water at the bottom of the pressure cooker. Is that water mixed with natto spores, or is this just water from the pressure cooker? And why is this done?
I have searched amazon for hours looking for those spores- seems only a Japanese website had the starter - but $20 to ship a $9 bottle makes me want to order more but the starter porobably expires before it gets used if you buy too much to save on shipping, right?
Hi Paul, Gem Culture based in the US has spores and can be bought online. If there is an asian supermarket, you can buy frozen natty that can be used as starter as well. -Natto Dad
I am new to Natto but i dont like its taste, there is some good taste hidden in it but funkyness dominating more.. I found a new recepie with Natto everyone like it.. I made natto just by fermenting it for 5 days with out adding any starter, 2 days enough but i let it for 5 days it taste much more beautiful exotic and coffe like with minute funkyness. What I further done is I sun dried it for 2 days make it crisper and then i grinded in to powder. Just took 1/4th tea spoon of powder and added normal water dissolved all lumps using spoon and i ate it its so good, no funkyness, taste like an exotic creamy coffee milk.. I added little salt it was better and added sugar its ok but i enjoyed with out and with salt. You can further experiment it with yogurt, milk, chocolates, cold coffee , etc.. Hope you guys try it.. If you guys liked it, just like my comment so that everyone can experiment it...
Using a Pressure CANNER as a Pressure COOKER requires a 10 minute steam venting. Pressure CANNERS are so much larger than a Pressure COOKER that you need to force much of the air out so the CANNER can get to proper pressure. Close the lid and do not put the weight on. Turn up the heat till the stop cock pops up and a steady stream of steam pours out of the opening. Time for 10 minutes then put the weight on. Evacuating the air in the CANNER now the proper pressure will be achieved. If you are using a Pressure COOKER this step is not needed as the size is smaller I can't see the size but he's using either a 16 or 23 quart Presto Pressure CANNER. He could have put his spoons and utensils in the canner to sanitize also while cooking. Pressure CANNING with the proper 10 minute venting water will boil at 240 degrees, not 212 sea level.
Hi natto dad, ill try to make soy natto again tomorrow. I think the fault was lack of cooking (steamed for 1hr 10mins on pressure cooker, but it still left them hard and not brown enough).Thanks for your reply!!
Another great video Dad! What about the smell parameter(in the ideal 80°C)? It's as stinky as the good frozen ones? Do you ever change the soaking water? or it's the same at all the 22 hours?
In the 80C water dissolved spore, the smell of the finished natto was not bad. That also has to do with the fermenting conditions and the temperature so you will have to be mindful of that. Yes, same water for the 22 hour soak. -Natto Dad
Hello Natto Dad-San. In india we have our own versions of natto in almost every northeastern state. Call it Hawaijar, Axone, or whatever it's called in that state. Interestingly, we ferment it using a jute bag, or a bamboo basket. 70% of the bacteria is still basillus subtilis. Can you look into that and explain me how the bacteria gets in without rice straws?? thankyou.
Hi Shikha, so natto is actually ubiquitous in nature which means it is EVERYWHERE. So I have heard that natto has been discovered in many cultures separately, probably from a spoiled batch of cooked beans. So in rice straws, the natto spores are there already. The danger is that bacteria causing food poisoning could also be there so natural fermentation carry a risk. -Natto Dad
Hi natto dad, I have a small question. My soy beans come with a transparent skin/shell around it, do i need to remove it before making natto? Its my first time doing Soy natto, and it didnt work very well compared to my other batches with other kinds of beans.Cheers natto dad!!
Hmm, I have never taken out the skin from the soybean. Sounds very tedious and I am lazy so I would not. I wonder why it did not work with soybeans but worked with other beans. Let me know how it failed and maybe I can help. Please post a new comment or send me an email to my email listed at nattodad.com. -Natto Dad
Thanks for your videos! How do you portion out your natto when you put it in the freezer? I'm trying to come up with the best/easiest solution. Thanks!
Well, Shelby that will depend on what kinds of container you are comfortable using. I wrap single portions in plastic wrap and freeze flattened. If plastic wrap is a no no, you could use parchment paper and portion out. Putting it in a container is not ideal as frozen natto turns rock hard. -Natto Dad
Have you ever experimented making natto using straw (dried grass) as the spore starter? I read somewhere the natto bacteria was discovered in straw itself. Also, that's how natto was made in ancient times, apparently.
Hi Lavatian, that is correct. You can use straw as natto bacteria is naturally present. There is a risk of food poisoning by using non-sanitized straw so I cannot officially recommend this and it will go under the try at your own risk category. Having said that, people made natto for a couple hundred years using straw. Very cool stuff! -Natto Dad
I have doubts about the extent of regeneration of frozen natto because if you produce natto from frozen starter you have to buy frozen natto each time to use it as natto. In other words, you cannot produce natto from frozen natto starter and then make the first batch and then use part of this batch to make another batch and so on. Because in the fifth generation or later, you will find that the bacteria have weakened
Hi Natto Dad, I've tried making natto from spore starter but the result is a smelly fermented beans which isn't making any gluey sticky strings when stirred. What could possibly went wrong? The smell is typical of natto though
Hi Michele, there are many ways that the natto fermentation can fail. Please visit my Natto Dad blog as I have a troubleshooting guide there. Usual culprits are low temp during fermentation and the beans being undercooked. -Natto Dad
Hi natto Dad, few questions if you don’t mind: 1. Can you make natto with pressure cooking boiling, rather than steaming? 2. Is it possible to make natto out of orange lentils? 3. Can you eat the natto right after fermenting? Rather than refrigerating first? 4. Do tinned beans ferment as well as non tinned? Thanks natto dad
1) Be careful as the skin comes off when steam boiling and it may plug the pressure vent. The natto bacteria does not like to be too wet and when boiled beans are fermented, the threads are much weaker. 2) I think you could. Again, natto bacteria are pretty fuzzy so you will have to tweak the method. 3) You can eat it right after. The umami increases after a few days to around one week in the fridge so it tastes better by maturing a few days. 4) That is one thing I would like to try as well! -Natto Dad
Natto Dad wow thanks so much for the reply natto Dad, would you consider doing a video on lentil natto? No other vids on the internet of that:) your really good with your natto!! Hope you make some vids again soon, your channel is very helpful Thanks natto dad
HI thanks for this video. I have two questions. 1. You said to dissolve Natto powder in 80C (=176F) or did you mean 80F (=26.7C)? 2. Can Natto be "heated" to add to a meal, or will that kill the bacteria? Is it normally only eaten at room temperature or refrigerated? Thank you!
Hi OBP, 1. Yes, that would be 80 Celsius so slightly cooled after boiling, but still steaming. I heard that spores need to be shocked at high temp to wake them up. Worked better than cool water in my findings. 2. The heating will probably kill natto bacteria but I hve heard in spore form, natto cn survive 120 celcius which is above boiling. Crazy stuff. As for health benefits, I say it is better than not eating natto. Natto can be put in miso soup but is more pungent. Will make videos on how to eat it soon. -Natto Dad
Hi, really like your video and you got me inspired to make my own natto but I am wondering if I can ferment natto without an oven or an incubator. I live in Malaysia and the temperature here is around 28 - 30 deg celcius. Do you think if I were to leave the beans in my kitchen cabinet, would start the fermentation or maybe it would take a longer time to be natto?
Hi Janna, 30 deg might be slightly low. On the comments I read some fermenting at a lower temp for 48 hours. It might be possible. Depending on the conditions, I have found that the ammonia smell can increase. Natto is very finicky so you will have to experiment with your current setup and conditions. It does like to be warmer for the optimum temp. Let me know how if goes! -Natto Dad
Hi Cipto, 25C is too low and another day will not help. You will have to find a way to maintain the fermentation around 37C to 42C for the fermentation. -Natto Dad
Hi TOAP, if you have not tried natto, I would strongly suggest trying it first. It is a very stinky, slimy and challenging food. Definitely an acquired taste. -Natto Dad
Hi Natto Dad! I was wondering if you could share the colander you're using for steaming the soybeans in this video. I've been searching around and I'm unable to find such a tall colander with feet to keep the beans out of the water -- all of the taller colanders I can find seem to be flat-bottomed. Also, am I right in thinking you're using the Presto 23-quart pressure cooker?
Hi sweetpea, the basket is a -Polder Steamer Basket 9.5 inch diameter and 8 inch high at Amazon. Recently, I have seen that there are new baskets on Amazon for use in Instapots that look nice but a bit smaller for my pressure cooker. -Presto 1755 16-Quart Aluminum Pressure Cooker at Amazon. Aluminum is reactive to acids so it cannot be used for tomato soup or any acidic foods. Hope that helps. Happy holidays to you! Please stay well and safe. -Natto Dad
Hello Natto Dad! Thanks fo your videos! I didn't get the temperature of soybean when you inoculate the spores. You said you cooked for 40 minutes in the pressure cooker and then let cool for 20 minutes. Could you please explain that? Is this time the time to release the pressure? Thanks
Hi Mayra, that is a very good question regarding the soybean temp at inoculation. I have done it when it is still hot and at times I got distracted and I made the inoculation when it was cool. Both seem to work fine if you make sure the water to dissolve the spores is at 80C. I would say that it takes about 10-15 minutes for the cooker to cool and depressurize by itself. At around 20 minutes, it is safe for me to take off the lid. -Natto Dad
Hi there. Is it possible to make natto in a regular electric oven with just the light left on? As I do not have any way of controlling the heat for fermentation
Hi Daniel, you will have to tend to it as the average fermenting temp has to be around 40C-50C. The light is just not enough to reach 40C in the oven. I have heard of people turning the oven just briefly to get the temp up. Again, you will have to monitor the temp more. -Natto Dad
Hi KPK, the instructions said to leave the little bottle of spores at room temp. So I have been leaving it in a kitchen drawer. Last time, I had kept it in the fridge and everytime you take it out of the fridge water would condense on the little bottle. The fluctuation in temp and humidity might do it harm. -Natto Dad
Oh that is a big question. Please make sure to check my Natta Dad blog. You may get some useful info in the troubleshooting guide. You can also email me with natto pics there. -Natto Dad
Hey Natto Dad and thanks for a great video. Im wondering is there any particular way to apply dissolved natto spore liquid on the beans in tray, because every time I make natto from spores the fermentation is uneven , some part is better fermented than the other. The way I did it is after I put the hot beans in the tray I tried to kinda sprinkle the liquid with spoon on as many beans as possible and than mix them thourughly and still the fermentation is uneven as I mentioned. The part when you apply the spore liquid is missing in the video so I asked :) Thanks
Hi Nikola, very curious as the mixing usually disperses the natto starter enough. If the fermentation is uneven from top to bottom, then the beans may to piled too high. If the fermentation in uneven in different areas, then it could be that the beans are not cooked even, but hard to say. Hope you have figured it out! -Natto Dad
Hi Anna, I have not tried. I would think it would be possible to use a food dehydrator to achieve this. The only problem I foresee is that the beans would turn rock hard. When we used to visit Japan, I remember as a child my parents would buy instant natto in a can to take back home abroad that could be rehydrated with water. Not the tastiest version of natto but that was the only way to take it back abroad. -Natto Dad
Hi Kathy, I started by just steaming in a pot with no pressure, but it takes 4-6 hours without pressure. And the natto still turned out hard. -Natto Dad
Hi Adam, yeah getting good strings is the holy grail of natto making. Please check out my troubleshooting guide on my Natto Dad Blog. It took me 1 year of trial and error to get threads so do not be discouraged! -Natto Dad
I made natto for the first time using soy beans. They tasted good but my soy beans are much bigger than the ones in the supermarket (about 3 times as big). Consequently, the texture of a mouthful of beans just isn't the same. Why are the beans in shop-made natto so much smaller? Is there anything I can do to make smaller beans?
Hi Lorna, one way is to chop the beans and it is called 'Hikiwari natto' which just means chopped natto. I think chopping it before eating it would be easiest at home. Hikiwari natto commercially made is ground/broken before the fermentation. -Natto Dad
@@nattodad1620 Thanks so much for your reply! In the meantime, I managed to find "kotsubu daizu" on Amazon and I'm actually making a batch right now. I'll see how it turns out in a few more hours. Incidentally, I'm using a "Wonderbag" to make mine. Do you know it? Instead of a pressure cooker, I boil the beans for 5 mins then leave in the Wonderbag to finish cooking in their own heat for a few hours. Then, I drain, put back in the pan, add a tub of natto and return to the Wonderbag to keep warm. It saves a lot of energy so is very eco-friendly! It worked the first time with the bigger beans so hopefully it will be fine with the smaller ones, too. I'm not a salesperson but here's a link: www.wonderbagworld.com/shops-global Thanks again!
You can to some point Tom. I have kept it going to the third generation and then all of the sudden they lost the threads probably due to contamination. It is better to make a large first batch and then keep that frozen to be used as the starter. Works better than consecutive starters like you would do in yogurt making. -Natto Dad
Hi Joe, not knowing where in the world you are it is hard to say. Here in the US, larger cities have asian/japanese supermarkets. You can find it in the frozen section. -Natto Dad
Dear Natto Dad, you said that after fermenting 24 hours, it is best to age it in the fridge for three days before we eat it. Can I put the natto in an airtight container for this process, or it shouldn't be airtight? I ask in case the whole fridge will smell like natto because I live with roommates. Thank you!
Hi Lam, yeah you can use any container and airtight is fine. After the 24 hour fermentation, the fermentation is done. In the fridge it will keep for about 2 weeks, then it is best to portion out and freeze for longer storage. -Natto Dad
Hi Natto Dad. Quick question - Is storing the Natto in the fridge for 2 weeks an essential part of the process or is it OK to eat straight after the fermentation. Thanks for your time. Awesome channel.
Hi Jon, storing it in the fridge for 2 weeks is not essential. You can eat it straight after the fermentation, but it will taste best when aged in the fridge for 3 days up to a week. 2 weeks is the max I would leave it in the fridge, then you can portion out and freeze. The reason not to leave it in the fridge for too long is that it will start to form amino acid crystals like you find in aged parmesan cheese. It is not harmful but natto will develop a sandy texture. Also, natto is fermented but it is not a preserved food so it will eventually spoil in the fridge. -Natto Dad
Thank you for your video! How long does the natto keep in the freezer and what do you do when you take them out of the freezer? Do you let the natto stand at room temperature or do you heat it up in some way?
Hi Agi, it you are storing it as a starter, the frozen natto will keep for many months. If it is to eat, as anything else in the freezer, it will start tasting like your freezer and it will get freezer burn. When I take it out, I either leave it on the counter top to thaw or you could microwave it for a few seconds so it thaws quicker but is still cool to the touch. -Natto Dad
Natto Dad Hi I only have big soy beans available here and I tried making natto with them. It didn‘t turn out as I wanted. The strings were very soft. Is it possible to make natto with big soy beans?
Recently, I bought a package of natto. The smell and the texture aren't that bad for me, but I can't handle the aftertaste. I had experience with buttermilk, which tasted really bad at the beginning but I got used to it - maybe it's like that with natto? I just don't want to throw that package away. How can I make it taste better? I'm jealous how many people love natto. :D
Hi Melanie, it might just take time to get used to it. I personally like soysauce and green onions. I had seen somewhere of adding a splash of vinegar. Or if you have a favorite condiment, maybe try adding that. -Natto Dad
Hi PA, if I remember correctly, that is the recommended amount of natto starter. There is probably a few million spores in that spoon. Even if you are off by half, you are in the same neighborhood. -Natto Dad
![[precious video] Making the Best Traditional Natto by Young Master in Japan!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ad_9uWUNorw/mqdefault.jpg)
Answer to those who fail to make natto from starter. I fail 10 times until i change this in my steps:
1) After you pressure steam beans, put them in clean tray and cover them by wrap without holes and let them sit until they cool down to 40-50° and only after that add an starter wich you dissolve in 70-80° hot water.
2) After i put them in fermentator i get my clock on 6hours, then i small down my heat emmiter on 1° because natto start to create it's own heat (dispassionate >39.0° - 38.0° -
I'm so happy there is a channel like yours! You are very methodical in your process, easy to understand and I also like that you use different beans to make your natto. The results you get are the best on youtube! Thank you for sharing your wisdom!
Thanks for watching Jase. I am glad I could be of help! -Natto Dad
Dove posso comprate starter giapponese x natto?
Thank you so much for your series of videos, Natto Dad! We've been to Japan just this year with my wife and absolutely loved Natto. So much so that we ordered a starter and are making Natto today with my wife! :) I absolutely love your detailed, thorough, instructions! Greetings from Kyiv, Ukraine!
Cool Flameberg! Really neat to think that natto is being made in the Ukraine. Glad I could help. Cheers and happy holidays to you! -Natto Dad
Здравствуйте. Меня зовут Оксана я учусь готовить натто , я живу в Киеве ,хочу найти любителей натто готовых поделится опытом в приготовлении.Благодарю
Я тоже с Украины и готовлю Натто и Темпе из соевых бобов.
Thanks so much for these comparisons! 80°C is the way to go for dissolving the starter! Btw I am very happy to see that it's possible to make natto with existing natto, instead of buying the starter!
Oh yes, you can do both. The frozen natto starter makes better natto for me. It may be a natto strain difference. -Natto Dad
Thank you! I’m so happy to have seen your video using spore starter powder. I’ve soaked and now steaming the beans in my instant pot. The only thing that would make this better is if you had used Instant pot with yogurt maker mode (keeps a steady 100F or 37C/38C). I will check another channel to see how long I need to have the beans in the yogurt maker mode. Thank you so much for this video! I’ve not seen another channel using the starter powder-I’m using the same one that you did here that I got from Amazon. Arigatou!😊
Ooooh I didn't know that. I used my dehydrator but it's lowest setting is 110. The red bean natto worked great but I'll try the instant pot next.
I personally never really had interest in Natto but after watching your channel I find the process (and your videos of course) really interesting and cool, thanks for making these !
Hi KSJ, hopefully it it will a gateway to the strange and wonderful foods out there. Natto is an amazing food that has had positive health effects for me. If you have a chance, give it a try! -Natto Dad
Today I made my first natto. I had not found your channel until tonight, after all was done and beginning fermentation. I followed a different instruction, which did not mention sterilizing equipment. I washed everything with very hot soapy water. I think my beans were too firm too. But I did dissolve starter in hot water, but it cooled before I could get it into the beans, but they were warm. After watching your channel, I opened my yogurt maker and put the plastic film over the beans. I have never even tasted natto. But I have been very ill for the last year and I am counting on natto to help me feel better. I will let you know how my batch turns out. Thank you.
How are you now
Thank you for running this experiment. It makes it easy to see that less than ideal results will happen unless you rehydrate the spores at the proper temperature...
You are welcome! I learned by failing so I wanted to share my experience so people would not have to make the same mistakes. My first 30 batches of natto were a failure so not sure if that points to me being a slow learner or highlights my persistence, haha! -Natto Dad
@@nattodad1620 Thanks for doing the heavy lifting! I may have stumbled on the spore method and never recovered without your persistence. I wanted to share my "Shortcut method" with you in return... Start by sterilizing utensils and the spore hydration water, cool to 175F and hydrate the spores. I use an InstantPot and just run it for 30 minutes to sterilize it all. Then open a can of beans, and drain. Then proceed as usual... I just finished a batch of 2 cans of organic black beans in 18 hours, yum!! In the IntstantPot on Yogurt mode, I didn't even have to cover with plastic either, saving another step. So, a can-o-beans turns into Natto in record time without prepping the beans... So far black beans works great, and I will try many other canned beans in time... My 🐔chickens love Natto too! Thanks again!👏🙏🥢
This is a great video! It settles all the conflicting ideas about how best to use pure spore starters for Natto. Thank you! 😌
Sure D Smith. It was confusing to me as well and wanted to get answers myself as making natto from spore was a little spore-radic for me. Sorry could not contain myself. -Natto Dad
Thanks for the tutorial. Just tried my hand at making some homemade natto with powderized starter from a european company, and it turned out great.
Thanks for introducing me to this very healthy and tasty food.
Sure Nursultan! Happy natto making to you. Natto Dad
Just made my first batch of Natto, using the Nattomoto. It's wrapped up with towels 🤱🏻 in the oven (turned off) but remaining at a warm temperature🌡.
We used the bean juice to dissolve the inoculant starter, at about 95°-90° F and then reintroduced it into the batch.
Hopefully it turns out good, thank you for the amazing content! 🙏🏽💖
How did it turn out?
@@ImmaKakarot1 turned out surprisingly better than the Natto frozen from the store. Made a big batch of it unexpectedly, so we have a lot of Natto to eat over the next week. So yum! My 6 year old son is loving it too
Hi from Australia...
Thank you for the very informative video.
Much appreciated
Sure andrew! If you need more info, check my Natto Dad blog at nattodad.com
Its great to see that you still respond to commenters after all this time. Long live Natto Dad!
Hahaha! This is my little corner of the internet and I like the interaction. Thanks for stopping by! -Natto Dad
Thank you so much. I've been wondering what temperature is best for starter.
Natto dadさん、イケメンすぎますっ！何度も見て先日納豆を作ってみました。納豆の種類に少し違いがあるものの、上手く作れて感動しております。こちらの動画のおかげです。ありがとうございます♫
Hahaha! Thank you for the complement! Will take that any day. I am glad I could help. Happy natto making! -Natto Dad
Hello Natto Dad!! Please make "Will it natto?" series, I'm so interested 😬, btw I have some ideas, you can use rolled oat, peas, peanut, corn, rice, wheat bran, and sesame seeds. Since bacillus subtilis in natto only digests starches, it maybe possible to ferment those things. Good luck 👍
Hi Anthony, oh man, you read my mind. I was thinking the exact thing. I had a comment mentioning fermenting wheat or was it oats with soybean increases vitamin K. So that is a thing. Ooof, rice may be scary. Summer time, I have left cooked rice for a few days unrefrigerated and it started threading. Probably from all the native natto bacteria in my house. I have also heard corn and cheese cubes will natto. So yes, that is a cool idea. The idea is there, more of a will power and life/work getting on the way, haha! -Natto Dad
peanatto
Have you tried this yet? I thought of it too because I'm not supposed to eat soy (I do anyway 🙂). I thought maybe other types of legumes might work.
@@nattodad1620 Koji and Tempeh next!
I saw the Mamenoka Mito Natto that was very popular with foreigners. Less smell and sticky. The manufacturer used different bacteria to achieve this.
@nattodad, you can try doing this as a new series. Try different fermenting bacterias to achieve different natto results. It'll be an exciting series !!
Wow that is wild Kevin. If have seen Niowa natto in Japan. The one that is less stinky. I had tried fermenting with different brands as starters and under the some fermenting conditions, I have found that some do not produce as much threads as the frozen natto I usually use. So there are definitely strain differences. -Natto Dad
I really like to try Natto someday :D
Maybe I'll try starting my own patch someday :D
Oh please do! It you are feeling adventurous, this is definitely a food to have. Might be good to start with store bought natto if available in your area. -Natto Dad
Yes! Thank you for this. Just subscribed and looking forward to more wonderful fermentation videos. We need more “how to” videos on these processes
Thank you for stopping by Jenn. Will have to make more videos then. -Natto Dad
Thank you!!! greetings from Spain
Hi Catherine, gracias y un gran abrazo! -Natto Dad
For me You´re the real doctor natto. Thank you for you video
PA, Ha! Just a natto and fermented food geek. -Natto Dad
Wow this is awesome, thank you. I can't get natto starter nor frozen natto. I heard that natto van be made without starter pr frozen pack. Just beans wrapped in leaves, stored in bamboo box. In North East India many people prepare fermented beans that way. Kinema, hawaijar, tungrymbai, bekang, aakhone, and peruyaan are naturally fermented ethnic soybean foods of India; they are popular among the Mongolian-origin races in the Eastern Himalayas. Bacillus subtilis is the dominant functional bacterium in all naturally fermented soybean foods of these regions.
Hey Natto Dad! I heard Natto is possible with sunflower seeds(weird, right?) but I don't see anyone doing it, even on the internet. In a future video, would it be possible for you to try it? Thanks!
Wow, that is too wild Gnarly. I would like to try that. I will have to make a "Will it natto?" series. -Natto Dad
Natto Dad haha I would love this series! I haven't tried regular natto yet, but I'm a nutrition junky so I want to, and If I don't like it, I'll keep on trying for those health benefits😂😁. Love your work man.
Natto Dad I’d love this series as well!
😁
I'd love to see that series too!
Hey, is there a ceramic heater you recommend?
Hey thanks for the best tutorial and explanation!! Hopefully we see more videos soon!
I hope so too Cadyn! Life gets on the way. So many things to do! -Natto Dad
Thank you for a clear and learned demonstration. My 3rd batch is still not up to your standard even though I have bought a thermostat yoghurt maker with accurate temperature control. Could it be that the problem is that I steam them without a pressure cooker at atmospheric pressure I wonder?
Hey Freddy. I've made 2 batches based on Natto Dad's instructions. First time using a basic steamer, the strings were very weak. For the second batch, I bought a large pressure cooker and steam basket. This made all the difference. The soybean in the first batch were not cooked through compared to the second batch, even after 3 hours of steaming. They really need to be cooked so the whole bean is mushy, not slightly al dente. The strings in the second batch are like the control group shown here. Hope you may find this helpful!
Kin Law thank you very much. That is just the information I needed. I shall get a pressure cooker.
Hi Freddy, Kin is right. I was frugal at the beginning and did not use a pressure cooker to steam the beans. It took me about 10 failed batches to realize that. Hope the next batch goes well. You guys are ahead of the game! -Natto Dad
Natto Dad ahead of the game thanks to your pioneering work. It is puzzling why pressure cooking is necessary tho because they weren't around in the 1100s in Japan. Maybe they cooked the beans for a day.
Hi Freddy, that is a good theory. I wonder about these things sometimes and if I could go back in time, I would love to taste all the foods they had back in the days. I wonder how good the foods tasted a thousand years ago and how they compare to the same foods we eat now. Maybe the natto was crunchy and non-stringy and they were satisfied with that. Or like you say, in relation to the technology they had at the time, cooking soybeans for a day was no big deal. Kinda like going to the library for half a day to look up information was not a big deal for me in highschool without Google existing at the time.
After a few hundred years, the people decided to improve the natto and tinkered as we all do. There are references that point to the ancients making "hikiwari" natto which is natto using chopped soybeans. That would speed up the cooking process. One hundred years ago, in 1919, natto was isolated and made with isolated pure cultures and pressure steaming was probably started around that time.
-Natto Dad
Very good video, thank you! I'm just about to start my first batch. I'm currently waiting for the starter to arrive.
Good luck Tamas! -Natto Dad
The starter has arrived, and the first batch was a huge success. Thanks Natto Dad!
When I’ve used spore starter, I found that if I add it directly after boiling, there will be no fermentation after eight hours but some after eighteen, so activation seems like a good idea.
many people say natto taste weird, but i like it!
Glad you like it! More power to you. -Natto Dad
Hi Natto Dad! I love your videos! I'm on a mission to make my own natto at home because I love it so much. (It's one of my favorite breakfasts) This is a huge learning process though, and I'm finding a lot of struggles. But that's good! Because each time I mess up, I learn some new things about how to eventually get the natto I'm craving.
So far I've attempted 2 batches at home, and both have failed. In fact, I'm still waiting on the final verdict of the second batch, but I'm pretty sure it didn't work out properly.
My common problem seems to be 1: I don't have a pressure cooker. So I won't be trying to make a 3rd batch until I buy one, otherwise I'm just wasting soybeans. And 2: I'm having trouble keeping a steady temperature for 20 hours. My beans keep getting too cold, and the natto fails. :(
Despite messing up 2 batches, I'm having a lot of fun learning how to do this, and your videos (and your website) have really helped me to understand what I need to do and how. Without them I'd probably still be wasting soybeans and wondering what went wrong.
Hopefully I can get a pressure cooker soon, and some equipment to keep my oven at a steady temp!
I'd love to see more videos from you in the future! Thanks for sharing and teaching! Please wish me luck, haha
Thanks Cassie. With the pressure cooker and temp control, the natto will come leaps and bounds better. I wish you the best of luck and if you fail again, do not be discouraged. I failed more than 30 times before I dialed it in so keep at it! It will be very rewarding when you conquer natto! It is the hardest fermented food that I make. You will almost develop a sixth sense and a feel for making foods. -Natto Dad
Wow. So much great information! Thank you!
Sure thing Daniel. There is even more info on my Natto Dad Blog! -Natto Dad
I'm fasting today and this video is making me hungry. Maybe it's weird that someone would crave natto, but that's how it is.
Oh I also crave it if I have not eaten it for a while. Welcome to the natto tribe. - Natto Dad
Hi! I have a trouble that natto bacteria grows on surface of the beans, like white color fluffy but in your videos end result wasn't look like that. They just became brown with "liquid" skin. What can be wrong? Thanks
Good question Ripys. Just uploaded the new video. I left a few pointers on the new video. You can also check the troubleshooting guide in my Natto Dad blog. -Natto Dad
Love your videos. I've been doing some thinking and outcome to believe that the hot water has nothing to do with activating the sports but rather killing competing bacteria strains that might have got in the starter. the natto spores, are endospores and as such are incredibly resistant to heat. However opportunist bacteria from the air and the manufacturing process that have just landed on the starter , in the majority won't be endospores and hence easily killed by water over 65° . There are only a few key variables , cook time, hydration , heat and humidity. but the main one that leads to poor strings is having competing bacteria in your Natto this is why hygiene is of maximum importance . Incidentally if using fresh Natto that is not in endospore form and will be destroyed by sheets like any other bacteria that the tribe sports starters give you a huge advantage because then be applied directly to very hot beans. thank you.
Wow, that is thesis material James. Your points make logical sense but I do not have a sterile lab to test this. In the literature, there is mention of endospore heat activation so that may still be a thing. As for bacteria in the air, mold spore contamination is more common but as you say, I am not doing this in a sterile environment so there are many factors to consider. Another amazing thing about natto is that when it is co-fermented with e.coli in the lab, it has been shown to outcompete it to point that it is not present at the end of fermentation. The power of fermentation at work. Having said that, there is mention of one incident of food poisoning from natto prepared with hay as starter so it is always better to err on the safe side. Thanks for stopping by! -Natto Dad
Natto Dad hello, very kind of you to say so. I am very much a beginner, in fact it was only after watching your videos following the instructions did my Natto come out great. when I first started I was a bit too convinced about the force of live natto cultures from a previous batch being able to overwhelm any opportunist bacteria from the air. in many time are used started from a previous batch for maybe two or three generations . I notice you say with starter that is best not to do that and use just a first or maybe second-generation natto started from a previous batch. researching about commercial natto manufacture I did notice that when using spore starters there is a vulnerability it the beginning and any sort of touching of the beans with your fingers is forbidden . Just by using your hygiene I got very good strings using a sport starter . I also did an experiment using tinned beans , inoculating with a previous batch , it turned out okay but with very light strings , I wonder if it's to do with the amount of carbohydrate stuck to the outside of the bean . One of the reasons to steam rather than boil is to keep the carbohydrate on the outside of bean . One of the mysteries about natto is that sometimes it seems to stall , I will get a great natto smell and light strings however long I leave it gets to a point where it doesn't seem to change or get any stronger , admittedly this was well is mostly using poor hygiene standards but it also happened when I used to canned beans and a starter from frozen Japanese fresh natto. Wishing you the very best thank you.
Glad I could help James. You touch on a few interesting points. As for the canned beans, I was interested to try that myself. My opinion on why the strings was weak with canned beans is that natto does not like to be too wet. Canned beans are saturated with water which is the same if you boil beans. I have found that the threads will always be weak when compared to pressure steamed beans which have lower moisture. I used to have some failed batches from time to time. If you are having problems specially in cooler weather, it is because the fermentation is not reaching temperature. I had received a comment that reaching 108F (42C) is crucial for good threads and I agree with this. Cheers to your health fellow natto maker. -Natto Dad
Natto Dad thank you , very interesting about the water content, I am wondering whether the reason for excess moisture harming the strings is because it washes off the nutrients on the surface of the bean , or whether it makes the surface too slippery so the bacteria can't adhere strongly. also I have made the begin a mistake of steaming the beans and letting them cooldown with the lid off and I noticed it gone quite firm and dry and then I tried to add more water and it was a very satisfactory. By the way the canned beans were something of a success, I used one can of aduki beans and one can of black eyed beans, there was no salt added but they did have calcium chloride added as a firming agent. I relished eating the whole lot , I have just finished it. it had light light strands but a very nice natto aroma. because of having a Western pallet I don't really like eat sticky strings . When I eat natto I like to mix it with porridge or a stew , I really relish the flavour , I found it has really grown on me. thank you for your comment about temperature , I am very fortunate I have a yoghurt maker which has a temperature adjustment which is very accurate , it's A Vonchef model, a flat model that takes little jars , I can put a little dish in , I normally make about 500 g worth but I could fit 1000 g if I wanted to. All the very best.
Salve,dove compro spore natto,originali dall Giappone? Tante volte ho fallito ,perche le spore erano deboli?Grazie chi mi risponde!
I have natto starter in packets and no spoon. is the spoon measurement about 1/32 of a teaspoon?
I used NattoMotto (Yuzo Takahashi labs) but I never let the beans cool, as soon as they were cooked, I cool the pressure cooker under the tap water to release the pressure, used the 3 table spoons (40 ml) of hot water (the same water from the pressure cooker) to dissolve the spores and mix everything. Got good threads/slimy. Always at 40C /+-3C. Price wise, I think is better to use Okame natto as starter since 3 trays let you make 27 -1 pound of natto batches for $3. The NATTOMOTTO is $24 and let you make 30- 1pound batches of natto.
I always get excellent results with Okame natto as starter dividing the tray on 9 parts as you did. the little frozen cube works real well either with soy natto beans or regular cheap gmo soy beans
Nice ossy! Sounds you got the method down! Good for you and cheers to your health! -Natto Dad
Have you ever used stainless steel trays for fermentation? Thanks
No, always Pyrex trays....but I discover works better if I just cover the Pyrex with the plastic film on top.
Once the beans are colonized, (24 hours) I place a sheet of plastic over the beans and another over the Pyrex, both with pin holes in order to preserve the humidity. If you use the plastic film over the beans the lack of air make the colonization to fail..
Wow i just found your channel, and it’s soo AMAZING, i’d like to see more of your content ! I already watch several time each of your video! Keep on the great work!
Since in my country i can’t find easily soybeans and when i command it online they tax it very high, but i love the way you do natto with all sorts of beans!
I see that you haven’t uploaded in a while, i hope you’re alright, I can’t wait to see more of your videos!!
Hahaja BN, I am quite well. Have been busy at work and chores so I have not been able to upload. I am not a youtuber or anything like that. Yeah, my goal is to make natto with as many beans as possible. Hopefully will load more content this year. Thanks for stopping by. -Natto Dad
Is natto served cold from the refrigirator?
Hi, did you ever tried to make a starter with wild herbs or straw for to make Chickpeas, black beans or other kind of beans natto? I know you can do it with Soy beans but if it will work with other kind of beans that I am not sure of?
Hi 👋 I tried making chickpea and red bean natto with the powdered starter and it was a complete fail for the chickpeas. Red beans were over cooked but it worked great. What can I do to make a fool proof chickpea natto? Also thanks for making such informative videos ❤️
When I ferment using a starter, the beans turn out very sticky. However, if I use the previous frozen batch, they come out weak and not sticky. Does anyone know what the problem might be?
I don't have a pressure cooker, is it essential?
Am I the only one that has issues using spores ? I did exactly as you said and get zero fermentation. I have no problems using live culture from the grocery store but spores. Three different times And bought twice. No luck !
I've had the same issue. Maybe switch the store where you are getting the spore form. Frozen natto always produces better results for me. -Natto Dad
Thanks!
Thanks, awesome info. 🌼🌺🌸
You are welcome! Thanks for stopping by! -Natto Dad
Hey Natto Dad!,
Awesome video. I had a question though, when you are wrapping the containers of soybeans in saran wrap I noticed that you puncture many holes into the saran wrap. My question is, do you ned to puncture that many holes into the saran wrap or will a few holes for the natto to breathe be enough air for the starter culture?
Also, helpful advice for those who are getting weak threaded natto even with using heated water, I noticed that my natto culture would have stronger threads if I let the natto ferment longer. I had a problem of having weak threaded natto and corrected this problem by fermenting my natto for a longer time. I tend to ferment my natto for around 40-42 hours.
Hi CS,
My understanding is that natto are aerobic, meaning that they need air to grow. As for the lower air requirement, I have not tried it so I do not know. Just leaving the edges open might do the trick.
Thanks on the input on fermenting longer CS! With the setup being different, I could see the fermentation taking longer. Temperature will directly affect the rate of growth so lower temps will result in longer ferms. It might also have to do with the moisture, where a longer time may allow the beans to dry a bit reaching the optimum growing humidity. But if the fermentation is not healthy to begin with, a longer ferm will not fix that. -Natto Dad
Can you used canned and precooked beans?
Thank you very much, I will try to make my Natto as you described!
Hope that I can do it so well like you did and that I'll be successful! 👍😊💞👏
Okay !
Hello Natto Dad , I’m from Russia, thanks for this video . I made natto in oven like u , it was very tasty natto made with 49 degrease . Thermal probe I put in the beans soya . And bacillus were alive.
Maybe u will find my experience so interesting.
Do you know people who eat natto every day for sport life ?
Thank you for commenting from Russia. I am sure ti is good for athletes. It has the effect of cleaning your blood so it is less like to get blood clots caused by high fat diets. If it helps with circulation and blood flow, I am sure it would help people who play sports. -Natto Dad
Natto Dad thanks for answering, could you help me , maybe u know website where I can Oder bacillus from Japan ) ?
I am going to try chick peas in a can for natto spores to grow on.
This is a good looking man
At 3:58, you are transferring by spoon the water at the bottom of the pressure cooker. Is that water mixed with natto spores, or is this just water from the pressure cooker? And why is this done?
It is liquid from the bottom of the pressure cooker. I am just adding more liquid before the fermentation for more moisture. Keen eye! -Natto Dad
I have searched amazon for hours looking for those spores- seems only a Japanese website had the starter - but $20 to ship a $9 bottle makes me want to order more but the starter porobably expires before it gets used if you buy too much to save on shipping, right?
How to make natto den
Hi Paul, Gem Culture based in the US has spores and can be bought online. If there is an asian supermarket, you can buy frozen natty that can be used as starter as well. -Natto Dad
I am new to Natto but i dont like its taste, there is some good taste hidden in it but funkyness dominating more.. I found a new recepie with Natto everyone like it.. I made natto just by fermenting it for 5 days with out adding any starter, 2 days enough but i let it for 5 days it taste much more beautiful exotic and coffe like with minute funkyness. What I further done is I sun dried it for 2 days make it crisper and then i grinded in to powder. Just took 1/4th tea spoon of powder and added normal water dissolved all lumps using spoon and i ate it its so good, no funkyness, taste like an exotic creamy coffee milk.. I added little salt it was better and added sugar its ok but i enjoyed with out and with salt. You can further experiment it with yogurt, milk, chocolates, cold coffee , etc.. Hope you guys try it.. If you guys liked it, just like my comment so that everyone can experiment it...
Using a Pressure CANNER as a Pressure COOKER requires a 10 minute steam venting. Pressure CANNERS are so much larger than a Pressure COOKER that you need to force much of the air out so the CANNER can get to proper pressure. Close the lid and do not put the weight on. Turn up the heat till the stop cock pops up and a steady stream of steam pours out of the opening. Time for 10 minutes then put the weight on. Evacuating the air in the CANNER now the proper pressure will be achieved. If you are using a Pressure COOKER this step is not needed as the size is smaller
I can't see the size but he's using either a 16 or 23 quart Presto Pressure CANNER. He could have put his spoons and utensils in the canner to sanitize also while cooking. Pressure CANNING with the proper 10 minute venting water will boil at 240 degrees, not 212 sea level.
Thank you, v useful...can we use nattokinase capsules as starter
I do not think nattokinase capsules have live natto bacteria or natto bacteria spores. So my guess that one cannot use that. -Natto Dad
Can you use the natto you made as a starter?
Pls tell how to make spore at home....
Hi. Love the video. Hoping for more soon! You inspired me to eat natto hot dogs. So yummy!
Wow, natto hot dogs. Will have to try that. Yes, I hope to make more videos this year. Life and will power gets on the way haha. -Natto Dad
Nice channel it is very good to try to make it 👌🏻😍
Thanks for stopping by! -Natto Dad
Very tasty. Can you use the culture of fermented beans from a pack that I purchased to ferment a newly soaked batch?
You sure can David. I have a video using a frozen package. Please check it out! -Natto Dad
Hi natto dad, ill try to make soy natto again tomorrow. I think the fault was lack of cooking (steamed for 1hr 10mins on pressure cooker, but it still left them hard and not brown enough).Thanks for your reply!!
Hi ILCAC, I am surprised that was not enough. Did you soak the beans for at least 20 hours? Hope it went well. -Natto Dad
How to buy the material and make natto here in American？
Another great video Dad!
What about the smell parameter(in the ideal 80°C)? It's as stinky as the good frozen ones?
Do you ever change the soaking water? or it's the same at all the 22 hours?
In the 80C water dissolved spore, the smell of the finished natto was not bad. That also has to do with the fermenting conditions and the temperature so you will have to be mindful of that. Yes, same water for the 22 hour soak. -Natto Dad
Hello Natto Dad-San. In india we have our own versions of natto in almost every northeastern state. Call it Hawaijar, Axone, or whatever it's called in that state. Interestingly, we ferment it using a jute bag, or a bamboo basket. 70% of the bacteria is still basillus subtilis. Can you look into that and explain me how the bacteria gets in without rice straws?? thankyou.
Hi Shikha, so natto is actually ubiquitous in nature which means it is EVERYWHERE. So I have heard that natto has been discovered in many cultures separately, probably from a spoiled batch of cooked beans. So in rice straws, the natto spores are there already. The danger is that bacteria causing food poisoning could also be there so natural fermentation carry a risk. -Natto Dad
@@nattodad1620 Ah I see! Arigato Gozaimasu 🌸🌸
Hi natto dad, I have a small question. My soy beans come with a transparent skin/shell around it, do i need to remove it before making natto? Its my first time doing Soy natto, and it didnt work very well compared to my other batches with other kinds of beans.Cheers natto dad!!
Hmm, I have never taken out the skin from the soybean. Sounds very tedious and I am lazy so I would not. I wonder why it did not work with soybeans but worked with other beans. Let me know how it failed and maybe I can help. Please post a new comment or send me an email to my email listed at nattodad.com. -Natto Dad
Thanks for your videos! How do you portion out your natto when you put it in the freezer? I'm trying to come up with the best/easiest solution. Thanks!
Well, Shelby that will depend on what kinds of container you are comfortable using. I wrap single portions in plastic wrap and freeze flattened. If plastic wrap is a no no, you could use parchment paper and portion out. Putting it in a container is not ideal as frozen natto turns rock hard. -Natto Dad
Have you ever experimented making natto using straw (dried grass) as the spore starter?
I read somewhere the natto bacteria was discovered in straw itself. Also, that's how natto was made in ancient times, apparently.
Hi Lavatian, that is correct. You can use straw as natto bacteria is naturally present. There is a risk of food poisoning by using non-sanitized straw so I cannot officially recommend this and it will go under the try at your own risk category. Having said that, people made natto for a couple hundred years using straw. Very cool stuff! -Natto Dad
Lavatian hi, its called bacillus subtillus
I have doubts about the extent of regeneration of frozen natto because if you produce natto from frozen starter you have to buy frozen natto each time to use it as natto. In other words, you cannot produce natto from frozen natto starter and then make the first batch and then use part of this batch to make another batch and so on. Because in the fifth generation or later, you will find that the bacteria have weakened
can i use pizza making yeast
Hi Natto Dad, I've tried making natto from spore starter but the result is a smelly fermented beans which isn't making any gluey sticky strings when stirred. What could possibly went wrong? The smell is typical of natto though
Hi Michele, there are many ways that the natto fermentation can fail. Please visit my Natto Dad blog as I have a troubleshooting guide there. Usual culprits are low temp during fermentation and the beans being undercooked. -Natto Dad
Hi natto Dad, few questions if you don’t mind:
1. Can you make natto with pressure cooking boiling, rather than steaming?
2. Is it possible to make natto out of orange lentils?
3. Can you eat the natto right after fermenting? Rather than refrigerating first?
4. Do tinned beans ferment as well as non tinned?
Thanks natto dad
1) Be careful as the skin comes off when steam boiling and it may plug the pressure vent. The natto bacteria does not like to be too wet and when boiled beans are fermented, the threads are much weaker. 2) I think you could. Again, natto bacteria are pretty fuzzy so you will have to tweak the method. 3) You can eat it right after. The umami increases after a few days to around one week in the fridge so it tastes better by maturing a few days. 4) That is one thing I would like to try as well! -Natto Dad
Natto Dad wow thanks so much for the reply natto Dad, would you consider doing a video on lentil natto? No other vids on the internet of that:) your really good with your natto!! Hope you make some vids again soon, your channel is very helpful
Thanks natto dad
Why go anywhere else...this is the perfect and easiest way to make perfect natto
HI thanks for this video. I have two questions.
1. You said to dissolve Natto powder in 80C (=176F) or did you mean 80F (=26.7C)?
2. Can Natto be "heated" to add to a meal, or will that kill the bacteria? Is it normally only eaten at room temperature or refrigerated?
Thank you!
Hi OBP,
1. Yes, that would be 80 Celsius so slightly cooled after boiling, but still steaming. I heard that spores need to be shocked at high temp to wake them up. Worked better than cool water in my findings.
2. The heating will probably kill natto bacteria but I hve heard in spore form, natto cn survive 120 celcius which is above boiling. Crazy stuff. As for health benefits, I say it is better than not eating natto. Natto can be put in miso soup but is more pungent. Will make videos on how to eat it soon.
-Natto Dad
Hi, really like your video and you got me inspired to make my own natto but I am wondering if I can ferment natto without an oven or an incubator. I live in Malaysia and the temperature here is around 28 - 30 deg celcius. Do you think if I were to leave the beans in my kitchen cabinet, would start the fermentation or maybe it would take a longer time to be natto?
Hi Janna, 30 deg might be slightly low. On the comments I read some fermenting at a lower temp for 48 hours. It might be possible. Depending on the conditions, I have found that the ammonia smell can increase. Natto is very finicky so you will have to experiment with your current setup and conditions. It does like to be warmer for the optimum temp. Let me know how if goes! -Natto Dad
I tried one with natto starter at 25 celcius and it is not sticky at all. will incubate it for another day help to increase the stickiness? thank you
Hi Cipto, 25C is too low and another day will not help. You will have to find a way to maintain the fermentation around 37C to 42C for the fermentation. -Natto Dad
Thank you. I will try to follow your example. I have never tried natto before, but in general the Japanese cousine is so good, it must be as well.
Hi TOAP, if you have not tried natto, I would strongly suggest trying it first. It is a very stinky, slimy and challenging food. Definitely an acquired taste. -Natto Dad
Hi Natto Dad! I was wondering if you could share the colander you're using for steaming the soybeans in this video. I've been searching around and I'm unable to find such a tall colander with feet to keep the beans out of the water -- all of the taller colanders I can find seem to be flat-bottomed.
Also, am I right in thinking you're using the Presto 23-quart pressure cooker?
Hi sweetpea, the basket is a
-Polder Steamer Basket 9.5 inch diameter and 8 inch high at Amazon. Recently, I have seen that there are new baskets on Amazon for use in Instapots that look nice but a bit smaller for my pressure cooker.
-Presto 1755 16-Quart Aluminum Pressure Cooker at Amazon. Aluminum is reactive to acids so it cannot be used for tomato soup or any acidic foods.
Hope that helps. Happy holidays to you! Please stay well and safe. -Natto Dad
Hello Natto Dad! Thanks fo your videos! I didn't get the temperature of soybean when you inoculate the spores. You said you cooked for 40 minutes in the pressure cooker and then let cool for 20 minutes. Could you please explain that? Is this time the time to release the pressure? Thanks
Hi Mayra, that is a very good question regarding the soybean temp at inoculation. I have done it when it is still hot and at times I got distracted and I made the inoculation when it was cool. Both seem to work fine if you make sure the water to dissolve the spores is at 80C.
I would say that it takes about 10-15 minutes for the cooker to cool and depressurize by itself. At around 20 minutes, it is safe for me to take off the lid. -Natto Dad
Hi there. Is it possible to make natto in a regular electric oven with just the light left on? As I do not have any way of controlling the heat for fermentation
Hi Daniel, you will have to tend to it as the average fermenting temp has to be around 40C-50C. The light is just not enough to reach 40C in the oven. I have heard of people turning the oven just briefly to get the temp up. Again, you will have to monitor the temp more. -Natto Dad
@@nattodad1620 thank you for such an Informative reply natto dad.
Neat! just bough some natto starter spores are you saying its safer to keep it in room temp than in the fridge?
Hi KPK, the instructions said to leave the little bottle of spores at room temp. So I have been leaving it in a kitchen drawer.
Last time, I had kept it in the fridge and everytime you take it out of the fridge water would condense on the little bottle. The fluctuation in temp and humidity might do it harm.
-Natto Dad
Mexican flour dough miniature rose pastel flowers recipe
New subscriber!
Thanks for that! -Natto Dad
Could there be any reason why my natto is wet at the base with no threads or coats developed? It seems ok with the top layer
Oh that is a big question. Please make sure to check my Natta Dad blog. You may get some useful info in the troubleshooting guide. You can also email me with natto pics there. -Natto Dad
My natto don't get this much stringy. It is always like 2 or 3 string in whole natto.
Hi Yash, please check out my Natto Dad blog troubleshooting guide. -Natto Dad
Hey Natto Dad and thanks for a great video. Im wondering is there any particular way to apply dissolved natto spore liquid on the beans in tray, because every time I make natto from spores the fermentation is uneven , some part is better fermented than the other. The way I did it is after I put the hot beans in the tray I tried to kinda sprinkle the liquid with spoon on as many beans as possible and than mix them thourughly and still the fermentation is uneven as I mentioned. The part when you apply the spore liquid is missing in the video so I asked :) Thanks
Hi Nikola, very curious as the mixing usually disperses the natto starter enough. If the fermentation is uneven from top to bottom, then the beans may to piled too high. If the fermentation in uneven in different areas, then it could be that the beans are not cooked even, but hard to say. Hope you have figured it out! -Natto Dad
Hi, Natto Dad. Thanks for your video. It's really helpfull! Have you tried to dry Natto?
*helpful
Hi Anna, I have not tried. I would think it would be possible to use a food dehydrator to achieve this. The only problem I foresee is that the beans would turn rock hard. When we used to visit Japan, I remember as a child my parents would buy instant natto in a can to take back home abroad that could be rehydrated with water. Not the tastiest version of natto but that was the only way to take it back abroad. -Natto Dad
Travis scott natto mode
What if you don't have a pressure cooker?
Hi Kathy, I started by just steaming in a pot with no pressure, but it takes 4-6 hours without pressure. And the natto still turned out hard. -Natto Dad
Any idea what causes weak threads? My instructions said to cool beans 20 min before introducing store natto. Maybe too cool?
Hi Adam, yeah getting good strings is the holy grail of natto making. Please check out my troubleshooting guide on my Natto Dad Blog. It took me 1 year of trial and error to get threads so do not be discouraged! -Natto Dad
I made natto for the first time using soy beans. They tasted good but my soy beans are much bigger than the ones in the supermarket (about 3 times as big). Consequently, the texture of a mouthful of beans just isn't the same. Why are the beans in shop-made natto so much smaller? Is there anything I can do to make smaller beans?
Hi Lorna, one way is to chop the beans and it is called 'Hikiwari natto' which just means chopped natto. I think chopping it before eating it would be easiest at home. Hikiwari natto commercially made is ground/broken before the fermentation. -Natto Dad
@@nattodad1620 Thanks so much for your reply! In the meantime, I managed to find "kotsubu daizu" on Amazon and I'm actually making a batch right now. I'll see how it turns out in a few more hours. Incidentally, I'm using a "Wonderbag" to make mine. Do you know it? Instead of a pressure cooker, I boil the beans for 5 mins then leave in the Wonderbag to finish cooking in their own heat for a few hours. Then, I drain, put back in the pan, add a tub of natto and return to the Wonderbag to keep warm. It saves a lot of energy so is very eco-friendly! It worked the first time with the bigger beans so hopefully it will be fine with the smaller ones, too. I'm not a salesperson but here's a link:
www.wonderbagworld.com/shops-global
Thanks again!
Can you simply keep using your own batches of Natto to incubate the next batch?
You can to some point Tom. I have kept it going to the third generation and then all of the sudden they lost the threads probably due to contamination. It is better to make a large first batch and then keep that frozen to be used as the starter. Works better than consecutive starters like you would do in yogurt making. -Natto Dad
where can i buy the frozen natto starter you use
Hi Joe, not knowing where in the world you are it is hard to say. Here in the US, larger cities have asian/japanese supermarkets. You can find it in the frozen section. -Natto Dad
Dear Natto Dad, you said that after fermenting 24 hours, it is best to age it in the fridge for three days before we eat it. Can I put the natto in an airtight container for this process, or it shouldn't be airtight? I ask in case the whole fridge will smell like natto because I live with roommates. Thank you!
Hi Lam, yeah you can use any container and airtight is fine. After the 24 hour fermentation, the fermentation is done. In the fridge it will keep for about 2 weeks, then it is best to portion out and freeze for longer storage. -Natto Dad
Hi Natto Dad. Quick question - Is storing the Natto in the fridge for 2 weeks an essential part of the process or is it OK to eat straight after the fermentation. Thanks for your time. Awesome channel.
Hi Jon, storing it in the fridge for 2 weeks is not essential. You can eat it straight after the fermentation, but it will taste best when aged in the fridge for 3 days up to a week. 2 weeks is the max I would leave it in the fridge, then you can portion out and freeze. The reason not to leave it in the fridge for too long is that it will start to form amino acid crystals like you find in aged parmesan cheese. It is not harmful but natto will develop a sandy texture. Also, natto is fermented but it is not a preserved food so it will eventually spoil in the fridge. -Natto Dad
Thanks for the swift reply and info :) I've just ordered the same spore starter you use in this video. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again.
Thank you for your video! How long does the natto keep in the freezer and what do you do when you take them out of the freezer? Do you let the natto stand at room temperature or do you heat it up in some way?
Hi Agi, it you are storing it as a starter, the frozen natto will keep for many months. If it is to eat, as anything else in the freezer, it will start tasting like your freezer and it will get freezer burn. When I take it out, I either leave it on the counter top to thaw or you could microwave it for a few seconds so it thaws quicker but is still cool to the touch. -Natto Dad
Natto Dad Hi I only have big soy beans available here and I tried making natto with them. It didn‘t turn out as I wanted. The strings were very soft. Is it possible to make natto with big soy beans?
what spore starter would you recommend, I plan to try making this at home.
In the USA, I get mine from Gem Culture. -Natto Dad
Recently, I bought a package of natto. The smell and the texture aren't that bad for me, but I can't handle the aftertaste. I had experience with buttermilk, which tasted really bad at the beginning but I got used to it - maybe it's like that with natto?
I just don't want to throw that package away. How can I make it taste better? I'm jealous how many people love natto. :D
Hi Melanie, it might just take time to get used to it. I personally like soysauce and green onions. I had seen somewhere of adding a splash of vinegar. Or if you have a favorite condiment, maybe try adding that. -Natto Dad
Would love a new video, if you ever have the time.
Yeah... HK. Time is what I haven't had lately but stay tuned. I want to make more videos this year! -Natto Dad
Hi nattodad Please. I would like to know if one tiny spoon of the natto starter is enough for 450g of soy beens thanks in advance
Hi PA, if I remember correctly, that is the recommended amount of natto starter. There is probably a few million spores in that spoon. Even if you are off by half, you are in the same neighborhood. -Natto Dad